Government officials often get flak for being inefficient or corrupt. But for millions of Indians, working for the government remains a dream job.

Since the Indian economy opened up to private investment in 1991, the number of non-government jobs has drastically increased, while jobs in the public sector have dropped. For instance, the number of people employed by the central government alone has fallen from 3.8 million in 1991 to around three million in March 2009.

Still, many job-seekers say they aspire to one day have a “lal batti” car – a vehicle with a red beacon, a prerogative of senior bureaucrats and ministers.

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Abha Singh, 46, retired last year as the director of postal services for Goa and Maharashtra after 20 years of service. She says that government jobs are particularly popular among people from lower-income families, because they are considered permanent.

People from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar – two of India’s most populous and poorest states – have a “craze” for government jobs, says Ms. Singh.

If you are wondering whether a government job is right for you, these pointers might help:

Exams: One of the toughest parts of government jobs, is to get one in the first place.

To get a job in the central government’s civil service – to join ministries, the foreign office, police or even the national railways – individuals have to take an exam prepared by a specialized agency called the Union Public Service Commission.

This is one of the toughest exams in the country, with some experts saying it requires around 10 hours of daily study for up to two years. Many candidates take the exam more than once.

In 2011, of around one million students who took this exam, fewer than 7,000 made the cut, according to the 2012 UPSC annual report.

Individual states also have a separate exam for states services jobs, and there is a different exam for defense forces.

Salary and Perks: For educated job-seekers, government salaries can be lower than many jobs in the private sector.

A junior civil works manager – an entry-level job in the civil services – typically earns a starting salary of around 9300 rupees, or $169 a month. In comparison, an MBA graduate is likely to get at least 32,000 rupees, or about $580 a month.

But government jobs come with several benefits, like subsidized or free apartment rents, and a car with driver for senior officials.

Some job aspirants say they like the idea of serving their country. Farheen Hussain, a 21-year-old college student in Bangalore, is preparing for the Civil Services exam. “I want to be a diplomat,” she says.

Job security: Even those who perform poorly are difficult to fire from government jobs. And after 20 years of service, you get a pension, which is up to 50% of the last drawn salary.

Ambition and creativity: If you are a creative person, you may feel stifled by the many rules and strict Do’s and Don’ts in government jobs.

One government official in Mumbai, gives the example of a colleague who wanted to store documents for a project in a digital format. But this official was forced to make paper files instead, as that was the approved method.

If you are an ambitious and competitive person, a government job may be frustrating because other people in your department may continue to work at a slow pace. Also, even your less competent peers will often get the same promotions as you.

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